A Chance Meeting?
by Livlia
Summary: Grace Hoffman has just moved to Forks, Washington under difficult circomstances. she's having a hard time ajusting until she meets someone very special. could there be more to him than she thought? she will soon find herself in the middle of fantasy.
1. Chapter 1

** The climate just kept getting colder and colder. Coming from Las Vegas I really wasn't used to cold weather. I couldn't believe how beautiful the countryside was. Nevada is almost always in a drought so I was amazed by how tall the trees were when they actually got rain. We're moving to Forks, Washington. My dad lost his job and we need a place to live.**

**We are moving into my Aunt Jennifer's house. She died three years ago from a pneumonia that she never recovered from. She left the house and the property to our family. I miss her a lot. We used to do a lot together before she moved to Forks. She would take me on a shopping trip to the mall every year for my birthday. She used to take me to the movies and we would go to the beach twice a year together. She was the one I could talk to. My parents just don't get me, not that any parents actually DO understand their kids, but still. **

**But that was when I was twelve. I'm fifteen now and my birthday is in a couple of months. Although this year, I'm probably not going to have a big sweet sixteen because I wont know anybody. Oh well. At least I can say that my parents are still here and that I have a family.**

**The trees were becoming bigger now as we crossed the Oregon border into Washington. Up ahead was a sign that read "forks: 20 miles". "Well" I thought to myself. "This is my life now. Better make it the best it can be". I decided to just put in my iPod and watch the new world go by. By the time I had put on my tenth song we had arrived at our new home.**

**The house was a cute, blue, two-story with a white picket fence around the lawn. There was a small porch and a white door with glass patterns. There were white shutters and blue curtains hanging from the windows. The lawn needed to be watered and the garage really needed a paint job, but other than that it was perfect. After we admired my Aunt Jennifer's taste for a few minutes, Dad said, "Why don't we unpack. We want to finish before sunset, in case it rains."**

**Out came boxes. There was box after box after box. Once all the boxes had been unloaded I picked up the one that had all my books and walked up to the house. Using the worn key from my pocket, I opened the door and walked inside my new home. I knew this place. I'd come to her house as often as I could. Memories of this place came back to me as I walked down the hall to the room that had been my bedroom when I was here. It was decent sized with a nice view of the forest. If you stood on top of my bed and looked out the window you could see a sliver of the ocean.**

**There was a hand-crafted desk made by my grandpa in the corner next to my closet. I immediately took out some tape and a folder from my box. I took out tons of pictures: pictures from middle school, my best friend Jasmine, my cousin Riley, and pictures of hot guys from magazines. I always was a photographer at heart. I poured out my heart and soul into pictures. People don't understand. You're not just capturing a moment in time, you're capturing a memory of your life and in order to do that you have to get all the details in. So in turn, I had a lot of pictures on my walls.**

**Once I had hung up all the pictures I went outside and helped bring everything else into the house. By the time we had finished it was about noon. We ate lunch and then I asked my mom if I could go for a walk. "I don't know…" she replied. Immediately I began to argue. I was in a new place and I wasn't about to let her ruin my fun!**

"**Mom, I'm a black belt in kung fu, I have a map in my pocket, and I have my cell phone! I'll be fine. I want to take a look around. I'm going to be living here you know. I might as well start knowing the land."**

"**Fine, but I want you back by two o'clock ok? Then we can finish unpacking and eat dinner. Oh, and if it rains I want you to come straight home!"**

**But I was already gone. **


	2. Chapter 2

** My mom's voice could barely be heard over the wind rushing past my ears. I had started running down the street as soon as I had heard the o.k. Back in Nevada I was a champion track runner. I could race anyone from any school and win by at least 5 feet. I was the fastest one at my school and I was nicknamed "Lightnin'". So as I was tearing down the street with my arms pumping it's no wonder I was out of earshot before my mom could finish her sentence.**

** Running like this brought back so many memories from Nevada. The whole school used to turn up for our track meets just to see me kick butt in the sprints. I had been scouted by several major universities to be on their team even though I was just a sophomore at the time. Chase, the guy I was head-over-heels for was one of the people who were always at the track meets. He would make a sign that said "RUN LIGHTNIN' RUN!" and bring it to every competition. He used to give me a big hug after every race and say "You should see yourself run." He never knew how much those hugs meant.**

** After a few minutes the road became a trail. The trail became forested and damp. Still I ran on. So far I was really enjoying the forest. Back home all we had was desert and sand. I never knew how beautiful the world could be if you took time to look.**

**Up ahead was a clearing in the forest. I could see light and smell the ocean. I sped up because I was coming to the end of my imaginary race. I burst out of the clearing, sped down a hill, and almost ran right into the ocean. I took a deep breath in through my nose, smelling the salt water and sand. I slipped off my shoes and socks and set them down on the sand. I slip my feet into the warm ocean, letting the waves fall over my smooth legs. My short shorts were a good combination with my tan skin and my white tank top. The clouds had just broken and the sun's rays were shining on my wavy, maple brown hair. I closed my eyes and savored the moment of the sun shining on me.**

**When my eyes opened they were looking straight at a really tan surfer. He was muscular and he had wooden board. He was on a decent sized wave. He went up one side and slid on the top of the wave and slid back down. Then he walked onto the tip, his toes hanging off the edge. The he goes back to the top of the wave and does a cannonball into the water making a splash. He comes up, his white teeth showing through his perfect lips. He has a tattoo on the side of his shoulder and he looked insanely happy here.**

**Then he notices me smiling at him and he gets on his board and paddles over to where I'm letting the waves break on my knees. He gets off his board and walks over to me. I'm getting a little nervous as he reaches me.**

"**Hey. Are you from around here?" he asks me. His voice had a rich tone to it.**

"**No." I replied. "But I just moved here from Nevada. I'm Grace. What's your name?"**

"**I'm Embry. It's a family name. Nevada huh? Nice 'n hot there. Not like here. It's all trees and bushes here. You ever gone hiking? That's a lot o' fun. Hey, you doin anythin later on tonight? We're havin a party on the res tonight. You can come. You could meet some people, where are you goin to school?"**

"**We haven't decided yet. Since its summer and everything. We're checking out Forks High School and the one on the reservation. I'm part Quillitet so I could go but we're not sure yet."**

"**So… you wanna come to the party tonight? I think you'd like my friends. We're a bit different but we're manageable. You might even like us."**

"**I'll ask. My mom wanted me back in about an hour. Will you come with me to ask her if I can go?"**

"**Yeah. And on the way you can tell me about Nevada. Let's go."**

**So I found myself in a new place with a new friend. Funny how life is sometimes. The last place you expect to find something, and you end up finding more.**

**We talked for forty-five minutes straight. It went back and forth with topics, ranging from snow to school. I was really enjoying his company. He was funny as hell, sweet, and he had really good views on things. I was really hoping he would let me take a picture of him. He would be perfect on my wall as my first friend in Forks. I'd bring my camera to the party tonight.**

**When we got to my house my dad was parking the car into the little one-car garage. He got out of the car and, noticing me, waved. When he saw that I wasn't alone he smiled. That's the best part about my dad. He's not one of those dads who frowns and threatens any guy that gets within five feet of their daughter. He's one of those dads that try to get to know his daughter's friends.**

**He walked over to us smiling. When he reached us he gave me a hug and said, "Hey Gracie. Who's this?"**

"**Dad, this is Embry, Embry this is my dad". They shook hands and smiled at each other. "He goes to school on the reservation. We met down at the beach and he invited me to go to a party slash bonfire on the reservation. Can I go? It'd be a great chance for me to meet some people. Can I go? PLEASEEEEEEE?"**

"**I promise to have her back by a certain time and I'll take really good care of her."**

"**Who's going?" my dad asked with interest. By the tone of his voice it sounded like he trusted Embry. Hopefully that meant yes.**

"**It's my friends from school and on the reservation. We have one every year. Kind of a tradition, you know? We're gonna cook hotdogs, dance, talk, tell stories around the fire, stuff like that. Its over around ten-thirty but I can have her home before then if you want. You know what? You remind me of my dad. The fun lovin' type. Do you like fishing?"**

"**Yeah I do. I'm not very good but I like it yeah. Its relaxing. Why?"**

"**Charlie, Bella's dad, loves fishing. I could ask him if you could come with him one time. Since Harry died he's been kinda lonely. Sure he's got Billy but still. You might like them."**

"**Sure. I'd love to go. We'll I guess you kids had better get going. You're gonna be late. Oh, Gracie. Bring your camera and a jacket. Embry, do you want to come inside while Grace gets her stuff? We got chocolate-chip cookies from the drive up."**

"**Yeah sure."**

**We walked inside the house and almost walked right into Mom who was unpacking a box of pictures.**

"**Well who's this Gracie?"**

"**This is Embry. He goes to school on the reservation. We met on the beach an he invited me to a party with him n' his friends. Dad already said I could go. I'll be right back. Embry, make yourself at home."**

**I walked around the corner and I heard Embry talking to my parents about the school on the reservation. I smiled, knowing that he had made such a good impression. I owed him big time.**


	3. letter to the reader

**Hey peoples! Sorry its taken soooo long to get the next chapter in here. I didn't have any time to myself this summer! Thanks for hanging in there for me! Well, here's the next chapter! I finally finished it. Lemme know if you don't like the ending. I had to finish earlier because of school. I appreciate the input. But if u don't like the ending, just think. The next chapters gonna b wayyy good! I wanted it to be a surprise! Sucks for you then because you don't have a choice but to wait until I post the next one! :p jkjk. No hard feeling though please.**

**So… ENJOY!**


	4. Chapter 3

** When I got back from my room Embry was sitting on the couch with my dad talking about baseball. I decided to let them bond a little. I passed by the china cabinet in the dining room on my way into the kitchen to find my mom. She was at the stove with her favorite cookbook. She was wearing the apron I had made for her as a Mother's Day present. She had her long dirty-blonde hair in a loose bun on the back of her head and her bangs were pulled back by a bandana. I loved her so much. It's no wonder Dad chose her.**

**I purposefully made noise as a walked up to her so I wouldn't make her drop something hot. I slid my arms around her waist and gave her a hug. Then we started swaying, because that's what we do when we hug. She turned around and kissed me on my forehead.**

**Then she whispered, "I like this Embry kid. And he's cute too."**

"**Yeah he's awesome. I feel like I've known him forever, even if it's only been a few hours."**

"**I'm happy for you sweetie…" she said trailing off. But I could tell there was something she was worried about.**

"**What's wrong Mom?"**

"**I'm just worried about this party. I don't know his friends or who's going to be there. I know you can take anybody in fight, but promise me that you'll text me every hour? It's the least you can do to ease my worrying. After all, we're in a new place. If you disappeared I wouldn't have the slightest idea where to look. Can you do that for me?**

"**I don't see why not. And nothing's gonna happen. You've seen me in my sparring matches, I rarely ever loose. But yes, I'll text you."**

**I gave my mom one last kiss and then I walked out into the living room. Embry looked up when I came in.**

"**You ready?" he said with a smile.**

"**Mhm. Let's go."**

**We walked out the front door and down the street. Embry still had his surfboard with him.**

"**Would you mind if I dropped this off at Sam's house? It's on the way."**

"**No prob. Is Sam your brother?"**

"**No. He's kinda like my brother though. All my friends are kinda like my brothers. We're all one big family. What about you? Any siblings?"**

"**Nope. I have a cousin though. Her name is Riley. She's coming out during Christmas break to see me and my family. I miss her and Jazzy the most. Jazzy was my best friend in Nevada. She was so funny. She was the best prankster I've ever known. For my eighth birthday we got a piñata and jazzy told me to put the bandana over my eyes so I couldn't see. As soon as I put it on she took out a can of silly string and sprayed me with it. She was my best friend. She's also coming out during Christmas break. I think you'd like her a lot.**

"**She sounds great! How old is she?**

"**She's 14 and Riley is 13. How old are you?"**

"**I'm 15 as of July 17****th****. When's your birthday?"**

"**October 16****th****. And I'm turning 15."**

**I could've talked to him forever. It was like I had known him forever. About fifteen minutes later we arrived at Sam's. It was an adorable little, yellow, one story house. It had a vegetable garden to the left of the garage and a white front door that was open to let in the ocean breeze. Inside I could hear a woman singing a song in a different language. I could smell fresh baked chocolate chip cookies from the breeze coming out the windows. My mouth started to water.**

**I looked at Embry and saw he looked strange. He glanced around nervously and then the look was gone. A second later he noticed I was looking at him.**

"**So, what'd ya think? Emily's in the kitchen. You hungry?"**

**Just then, as if on queue, my stomach growled.**

"**Yea. Will we be intruding?"**

"**Nah. Sam's cool like that. But… the thing about Emily… Sam doesn't like it when people stare… just given you a heads up."**

**I looked at him quizzically. But he smiled reassuringly and took my arm and walked over to the garage. He signaled for me to wait outside and then he was gone. I glanced at the garden to have something to do. It was so quaint and simple, yet beautiful and sweet at the same time. In the garden there was a sign that said "The wolves were here". All around the garden were little signs with pictures having to do with wolves. One had a wolf baying at the moon, another had a paw print, and another had a wolf puppy in the snow. Everything looked hand drawn. It was the sweetest house I'd ever seen.**

**Just then I got a strange feeling in my stomach. The hairs on the back of my neck stood up, my eyes narrowed, and my heart started to flutter in my chest.**

**You know when you get the feeling that you're being watched? Well, if you haven't had that feeling, lemme tell you. CREEEEEEEEEPPPYYYYY. I did one of those slow motion turns to my right, but all I saw was woods. I stared into the trees with an expression that said "I dare ya", but it was met with only the blank faces of the trees. Then I thought I saw the slightest shadow. I turned my full body towards the trees and took a step forward. Then I saw them.**


	5. Chapter 4

**A chill ran through my spine. The breath rushed out of my lungs like I just got front kicked in the chest by Chuck Norris. **

_**And for those of you that don't know what that feels like, lemma tells you! NOT FUN!**_

**In the dark green bushes was a pair of dark brown eyes. The surrounding trees made dark shadows across the unreal, beautiful irises that were staring at me. They moved to look at my face. When I got the full blown affect of them staring into my eyes I felt like I was in a trance. I could read every emotion that was crossing them.**

** There was curiosity, fierceness, anger, understanding, hesitance, sadness, and I could also tell they were scared. I swore I saw the slightest hint of remorse cross its vision. Then, without blinking, they moved into the shadows and disappeared. I took a step forward and paused, deciding what to do.**

** I couldn't just leave Embry. Then there was the aspect of not knowing where I was going, getting lost, and possibly being killed by this unknown creature. Even if I was an excellent fighter I doubted I could beat an unknown creature on its own turf. I'm good, but not that good. The cons out ruled the pros. **_**Big time might I add**_**. Yet, what's the fun of being in a new place without the adventure…?**

**But just then Embry casually came out of the garage with a box in his arms.**

** "Party stuff." He said coolly while he gave the box a shake. He obviously read the look of curiosity and a hint of fear that was spread across my face. My eyes were wary and my lips were gently laid against each other. My muscles were tense and my legs were in a fighting stance, and I was ready to run at any moment. He turned and glanced into the bushes that I had been staring into. I saw a look of annoyance cross his forehead, and then it was gone.**

** He turned to me and said, "You ok? You see somethin'?"**

"**Yea", I said. I couldn't tell what my voice sounded like. "I saw these eyes… but they were gorgeous" I said breathlessly. "They were sweet and the softest brown, just like the color of tree bark. And they… looked like they felt sorry for me… I wanted to go after it but I decided not to leave you, plus I might get lost. I wish I could have followed…" I whispered.**

"**Oh Embry you should have seen them!" I continued. "They were HUGE, and they looked really intelligent and almost human like…"**

**He coughed uncomfortably, and the noise didn't go unnoticed.**

"**You can tell me about it when we get to the bonfire if you like, but were gonna be late unless we hurry. I guess you can meet Sam and Emily later. Com'on lets go!"**

** He took my arm and pulled me away from my little, mysterious bushes that held the answer to every question running through my bewildered brain. On the way to the party we talked and laughed, but I could tell there was something he wasn't telling me. I dropped it but I was going to get the answer out of him. I didn't like people who kept secrets.**

** When I heard the other voices my excitement started to rise. I LOVED parties, especially ones where I knew everyone there. But that wasn't the case tonight, and I was a little nervous. Even though I had never been here before, I could tell there was quite the shindig this evening. I could smell ribs, steak, carne asada, hamburgers, corn on the cob, and lots and lots more. When we got inside the gates to the campsite I gasped.**

_**These people really know how to throw a party. **_**There were several surfboards lined up in a row and a form that said "surf contest" on it with a sign up list. There was a GIANT table filled to the brim with every possible food you could imagine, a limbo stick, several campfires, and a dance floor. There were speakers that were playing an iPod playlist and people were dancing already, even though the party had just started. A lot of the people were talking and laughing. I felt soooooo out of place. I was the only one who didn't know who these people were. Awkward… but Embry had taken my hand and was leading me right over to these people who looked like they had stepped out of a model magazine. I looked around nervously and noticed that a lot of the guys weren't wearing shirts. **

_**Mmmmm….. Drooling slightly. Now what annoys me is when guys are so stuck up and they want every girl to look at their "abs", except they don't have any to look at. Seriously guys… if u wanna have your shirt off, at least have abs or biceps to show off. Otherwise girls will just laugh…**_

_**But these guys DID have abs AND biceps to show off, and some of them didn't look like they were a day over 14! And they looked wayyyyy hott. Now those of you jealous girls reading this and sighing, you should really move here. CAUSE IT'S TOTALLY WORTH IT!**_

**After I had turned my attention away from the totally smokin' hott guys, **_**which was kinda difficult and not something I wanted to do,**_** Embry and I had walked up to some amazingly gorgeous people. One of them turned to look at me, and I saw that he had these amazing bronzish gold eyes. His hair was kinda all over the place, and he was dressed in khakis and a white t-shirt. He had his arms wrapped around a gorgeous woman with wavy brown hair. She herself was stunning, even in her designer jeans and a flannel. Her eyes were a bit of a darker gold than his, and neither of them looked older than 20. They were laughing with a tall russet man who had a little 5 year old clinging to his neck. She was wearing sand washed jeans and a red shirt and her long blonde ringlets were pulled out of her face.**

**The tall, muscular man was wearing denim jeans and, like a lot of the other guys there, he wasn't wearing a shirt. He was also barefoot. The little girl clinging to his back turned to look at me. She looked at me curiously, and then she put her hand on the tall mans face. He turned around and he smiled at me.**

"**Hey, never seen you around here before. I'm Jacob." He said.**

"**Hi." I said shyly.**

_**Me? Shy? I've obviously been watching wayyyy too many chick flicks! Time to get my action movies out of the boxes ...ASAP!**_

"**What's your name?" he asked me.**

"**Grace Hoffman. I'm new here. I used to live in Vegas. It's weird. Everything here is really green! I'm used to everyone's backyards being a desert!"**

"**Cool! Vegas huh? You gamble?" he said while winking at me.**

"**Maybe a little bit…" I said winking back. "But shhhhhh. Don't tell my parents. They thought I was at the movies, but I found a better use for their money. I made triple that amount at the poker tables." I winked again.**

_**That's better. Gracie you're officially yourself again.**_

"**Hahahahaha nice…." Jacob said while giving me a high five. "Oh! I'm sorry. Grace, this is Edward and Bella Cullen, and this is their daughter Renesmee."**

"**Hello" The one named Edward said.**

"**Hi" I replied with a smile.**

"**Hello Grace." Said Bella. "How did you meet Embry?"**

"**I went for a run down to the beach and we just kinda came across each other." I replied. I liked these people, although there was something a little off about them. I couldn't place what it was.**

"**I haven't eaten anything since 1:00 so I'm gonna go over to the food tables. I'll be right back."**

**On my way over to the tables I glanced around. All the people were having a great time, laughing, having a great time. **_**These are the people I wanna hang out with. They all accept me, treat me nicely. I like Embry a lot and it'll be nice to know someone at school.**_

**Just then something interrupted my thoughts. I had just picked up a hotdog and was about to take a bite, when I got that feeling again. This time I wasn't going to let that creature get away. I set my hotdog down on my plate and turned to my right, letting my instincts guide me. I paused and opened my eyes. There they were again.**

**When they noticed that I noticed them they slid into the shadows. I turned to look at Embry. He was talking and laughing with Jacob, Edward, and Bella. He turned to see if I was ok, and probably noticed the look of determination on my face. I sent him an apologetic glance, turned my head, and sprinted off into the unknown after something that could probably kill me.**

_**Psh! And people say I don't have the guts to do anything dangerous!**_

**The last thing I heard was Embry shout my name, and then I was too far gone to hear anymore.**


	6. Chapter 5

**I was running so fast; faster than I ever had before. My feet were practically skimming the ground. I felt like I had just achieved the slogan of the Red Bull beer can: "Red bull gives you wings". I followed the sound of the animal's footsteps, farther and farther in to the woods it streaked.**

_**Damn that sucker's fast!**_** I thought. My heart was pounding, my lungs were hurting from that ice cold air feeling you get when you run a lot, my hair was blowing back in the wind… It felt great! I became aware that the animal was starting to lose me, so I sped up and kept on its tail. I think it realized that I could keep up with it, so it slowed down and stared circling back towards me.**

**I went on the defensive. I shifted my position and slowed to a jog. My legs went to a fighting stance and my hands were balled into fists at my sides. I could hear it walking toward me. I stopped and looked around memorizing my surroundings. There was a branch that I could use as a weapon if things got ugly.**

**The bushes rustled in front of me, and I narrowed my eyes and stood my ground. If this thing thought it could scare me into running away, then it had another thing coming. The wind blew towards my face blowing my sweaty hair back off my flushed face.**

**Then the eyes appeared. They were huge. Then came a nose, but it was a dog's nose. Its fur was a very dark brownish black. Then its head emerged. It was like watching someone paint in slow motion as more and more of the picture emerged. A foot the size of a baseball glove stepped on a twig as it came out from behind the bushes. Then the rest of the animal followed suit. **_**THIS IS A FREAKING BIG WOLF! **_**I thought to myself, partly screamed in my head. **_**Its shoulders are the same height as mine! And if this thing were to walk in for a pedicure it would cost like three times as much! But its fur... I wish I could touch it…**_

**I stood completely still. I kept my breathing even. It had its teeth showing and it had a deep growling rumbling through its chest. It began walking around me in a circle, very slowly. It was studying me, ranking me on the threat meter. When it got back to facing me head on, it stopped. It took one long sniff and then it froze for a few seconds. Then its eyes widened and its breath left in a rush. It took one step backwards and then turned and ran into the forest.**

**As soon as it was gone I took a deep breath. My knees gave out and I fell to the ground. I knew what I had done was reckless and dangerous, but I needed to know what was spying on me. I sat up and crawled over to the nearest tree. I lifted myself up onto the nearest branch and pulled out the Swiss Army Knife my dad had given me for Christmas. I had never been one for girly things…**

**I pulled out the knife blade and turned to the tree. I gently scraped the surface with the blade. I was carving what had been following me, a wolf. I carved out a perfect image of my follower. Then I struck the blade into the deep, rich bark and wrote the words: **

**What isn't seen holds the secrets**

**-GH**


	7. Chapter 6

"…Grace..." Then there were footsteps. Leaves rustled. "Grace!"

_Embry. How did he find me?_

I jumped down from the tree and almost fell. While gritting my teeth, I stood up and started walking towards the sound of his voice. I could tell he was worried. He was probably going to take me home after what I had done.

_NICE GOING GRACIE! Not only have you possibly creeped out your first friend in Forks, but you have more than likely gotten yourself potentially grounded your first night here. Real smooth…_

"I'M OK EMBRY!" I shouted to him, and two seconds later he burst into the clearing and almost ran into me.

"Oh thank God you're ok! Do you mind telling me what was going through your head? You could have gotten lost. How would your parents have felt? …How would _I_ have felt?"

I noticed the emphasis on the "I" part. _Did he really care that much?_ "I'm sorry… I was just so curious… I found out what was in Emily's bushes. It was a huge wolf! Remember when you came out of the garage and I looked kinda weird…?"

"Yeah," he said while looking a bit ticked off.

"Well I had just seen its eyes. But this time I saw the whole thing! It was… beautiful," I said after pausing to consider the appropriate word. "…are you mad at me? I'm really sorry! Ill never do that again, at least without telling you." I smiled.

He looked apprehensive and he seemed to be struggling. Finally he sighed and gave me a look. "Alright, but if you take off on me like that again I'm gonna take you straight home, got it?"

"Agreed. Do I still get to go to the party? You can hold my hand to make sure I don't run off again" I said teasingly. He rolled his eyes and stuck his hands in his pockets. The he motioned for me to follow. Smiling, I walked to his side and we started back the way we came.

When we came out of the forest, Edward smiled at us, and Jacob raised his eyebrows in a joking manner. Embry chuckled and said, "You still hungry? You didn't get to eat much before you ran off." My stomach growled making us both laugh.

"Yep. What's your favorite food?" I asked as we walked toward the endless snack tables.

About an hour later, the sun started to slip out of the clouds and onto the horizon. We had both eaten our fill and Embry had successfully beaten me at limbo. We were sitting on a fallen log near the Cliffside. We were laughing hysterically at one of the surfers down below. He was trying to get on this huge wave, but at the last second he had chickened out and tried to go around. The wave had picked him up and thrown him almost back to shore. Embry had made some crack about him being gay because he wasn't manly enough to take the hit. He heard us and stared up at the cliff. We had both burst out laughing and now I was clutching my sides with tears rolling down my cheeks.

"Oh My God! …My sides!" I moaned. Embry has tears in his eyes too and the biggest, silliest smile on his face. It was really funny to watch. I quickly snapped out my camera, and before he knew what I was doing, I had snapped a picture and flashed a smile. "Congratulations. You have just been added to my memory card."

He chuckled and looked out at the setting sun. I followed his line of vision and saw that he was watching a seagull flying low over the waves. The sun was like a caramel orange lollipop sitting on the sea. I could see Embry watching me from the corner of my eyes but I stayed focused on the ocean. Out of the corner of my eyes I could see him slowly move his hand closer to mine. I kept mine open so I could let him make the move. I felt his warm skin touch my palm, and the heat stayed there. Finally I turned my head and gave him a warm, heart-filled smile.

Then I stood up and led him to the dance floor. I kept his hand in mine and together we swayed to the music. _Whoever's iPod this is has great taste in music_. Then someone put a slower song on. Embry gently wrapped his arms around my waist with a smile; I returned the smile and put my hands around his neck. My heart was starting to flutter. His warm body was gingerly resting on mine; it felt like I was being hugged by someone with a heating blanket. As the song progressed, we said nothing. The silence didn't seem to bother him, so I let the comfortable nothing kiss the twilight that was now upon us.

The song was in full motion now, the singer's hypnotic voice creating a picture of floating leaves and soft colors dancing in the sky. All I could see was Embry's face; his gorgeous eyes boring into mine. He then took his right hand off my waist and placed it on my cheek. I smiled as his lips came nearer to mine. Then I very slowly closed my eyes.

When our lips met, there was a warmth in my heart I had not felt before. He kissed me sweetly. It was a short, sweet kiss that I thought only existed in fairytales. Then he slowly pulled away. When I opened my eyes he was staring at me again. I smiled and gently pulled his head back towards mine. He sighed when our mouths met again. My stomach was fluttering and my heart was beginning to pound. The hand that was on my cheek moved to my hair. Then his fingers rested on my neck. The hand that was on my waist began moving to my hips. Then his hand slid to the small of my back. If he had gone farther I would have pulled away, but he didn't. And besides, I didn't want him to stop. But unfortunately, everything must come to an end, even if it's just for a moment. I pulled away with my cheeks hot and my heart pounding. My breathing was fast.

Then the song ended and another one started. I rested my head on his chest and let him hold me. His tan, muscular arms were wrapping me in his warmth. I closed my eyes and listened to his breathing; his hypnotic heartbeat echoing in my ears.


End file.
